Opinion: Ted Cruz’s Kamikaze Strategy

Potomac Watch columnist Kim Strassel on the split in the Republican party over strategy. Photo: Getty Images

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... now the Washington or Texas Senator Ted Cruz this assigned to train his guns ... on our editorial page ... this is common on his move to filibuster gun control legislation ... now that point all of the reporters said okay you guys of loss ... and it shows what in the soldier work but Wall Street Journal wrote to Opnet's ... bashing ... granted my kidney ... the imbeciles for fighting on this generally understand ... in yet you go for two weeks ago ... when the votes came on the floor and set ... every single proposal ... in President Obama as gun control agenda that would undermine the second amendment ... every single one of them was voted down on the floor this ... welcome back to Opinion Journal why Mary Kissel ... that was Ted Cruz on his ... failed filibuster gun control legislation ... of the gun control legislation stomach watch columnist Kim straw soul joins me now can't ... very strong words I don't remember a sprawling Senator Cruise names and I dont wanna go there now either ... let's rise above this ... what is his strategy here when easy trying to achieve by doing this ... this is a reference obviously the filibuster fight as you said ... what had been happening there is that ... the Democrat It's ... the presence of gun control policies were in tatters ... they were being destroyed by his own Senate Democrats the headlines are all about that ... Senator Cruise came again ... with this threat and that that the filibuster all really would have done what it protected Democrats from ... being a bother ... now see the argument that this was about ... the GOP needing to stand strong on principle ... and I think that this is kind of day and generated a big question out there about ... how does the GOP stance on transport and if you do that you can also do in a smart way for instance by forcing Democrats to have votes on things that ... show the divisions that they have with the president ... I it's a good question and I I encourage everybody to read Ken's column today on the topic ... and Jim ... guy is Senator Cruise ... and his colleagues to ram home likely represent that ... FRA faction in the Senate but is this also an issue in the house ... yes you saw friends and so ... last week as well to there was a move to push a bill of Republican bill that would add ... underfunded the slush fund in Obamacare and wouldn't move that money over to a separate failing Obamacare program ... that helps people with pre existing conditions ... on the heel and gusset so this was the first really good opportunity for the Republicans actually kill a portion of Obamacare because they were forcing Democrats to get their boat ... to help sick people or boat to take away this last month ... it had a good chance of tapping buttons that ... there is an cruise staffers the iPad at the Heritage Action finally had the club for growth all come out and say no you cannot hope that this because you cannot go for any single thing in any ... way that might in any way under tanned ... Obamacare and so they ended up pulling the bill so ... you see some of these outside groups and some of the the center of latter folks in the Senate ... very much saying look we've got all weepy principal principal principal ... I agree with being principle that I think you can also be printable them as I said make some smart moves while Kingway PCB describing as short-term opportunism ... versus a longer term political strategy actually advances the interests ... of the party in of the constituents of of of of the country ... it strikes me that Democrats don't seem to have this problem can be that they they seem to stick together more the better on the message in the do play for the longer term why is that ... also right that's exactly why this on court one big been so bloody Geely the Democrats over the past two years ... is not ... having to taking the votes not adding he had to do anything that would show what impact are the bitter divisions in their party ... I'm actually a lot of those senators for instance from red states ... on and the president more liberal we ... answer that's why in fact mean gunboats were so important to force them how to calm aam ... and actually vote on the mini and the andthe because the filibuster didn't succeed ... you end up selling day with the present assault weapons ban the wind down at the hands of Senate Democrats I was is ... limits on magazine capacity when getting in the Senate Democrats exposed to those divisions ... the GOP needs to be thinking about more ways to force the other side ... to talk about its divisions rather than just highlighting its own day after day and perhaps to talk to each other rather than announcing a filibuster on the show on the Hannity show ... Potomac watch columnist Kim straw soul thank so much for being with us